VICTORIOUS VICTOR
The story of Hon. Victor Bala Kona, Taraba State’s most popular politician. Jethro Yerga reviews his profile
Born in Bakin dutse Village of Ardo kola LGA of Taraba state, Victor Bala Kona has always been victorious in all his endeavors. He has been a king maker and anybody he stand for usually succeeds.
Victor Bala had been a successful international business man for 35 years. He has also been in politics of Taraba State for 33 years now and apparently the oldest politician in the present generation of politicians across the state and in all these, he has remained a victorious victor.
The political demagogue had been the PDP chairman in Taraba State from 2012 till 2020.
Before he became PDP chairman, the average aged man was the founding chairman of the number one party, the United Nigerian Congress Party (UNCP) in Taraba state. This made the job a wake over for him as he had acquainted himself with all the knits gritty of the office especially that the office needs someone that is experienced with vast knowledge of the polity of the environment or territory to which he is leading the party.
As the UNPC chairman of Taraba state, Bala Kona was familiar with all the terrains of the state. As such, he was able to sail through the tides as he led the party to win all the then 16 House of Assembly Seats in the state.
The party also won the Local Government elections in 1999/97. And repeated same in 1998 with two senatorial seats, the Southern Zone and the Central Zone. Analysts who knows better than I do held that the Bala Kona led team lost the Northern Zone to the former governor, Rev Jolly Nyame who was then in DPN because, there was a little disagreement between members of the party in the zone.
Furthermore, the victorious Victor, as he is fondly address by Governor Ishaku, acquired his victorious experience when he was a member of ANPP. He was among the people who started the party and was at the helm of the affairs of the party all the time. After the merger with UNP, Bala been an accountant by profession, was elected the Assistant Financial Secretary in the National Executive Council.
He was later appointed as the Deputy National Welfare Secretary of the ANPP before he finally joined the PDP in March 2007, when governorship ticket was given to his bosom friend of blessed memory, the Late Pharm. Danbaba Suntai.
Faithful indigenes of Ardokola, where he comes from will attest that, before the former Taraba State PDP chairman came to the party, the party hardly won elections in the area. His victorious fortune gave victories in the area a sharp dramatic turn, as victory became easier for the PDP in the area.
He eventually became a stake holder, Youth Leader of Good Luck Jonathan’s campaign team in 2010, and team campaign member of Late Danbaba Danfulani Suntai. His tireless efforts in conjunction with others delivered Late Pharm. Danbaba Danfulani Suntai in 2011. When Victor Bala Kona became the Taraba State PDP chairman in 2012, it was more or less telling him to go and do the same thing he had done before.
“It was no longer a strange thing, the secret of victory was no longer strange to me. Because if I could win election in the military era, both state and national, coming back to say I should repeat what I did after knowing the terrain of the state, after knowing the nooks and crannies of the state, I knew it would not be a difficult challenge to me”. He told our reporters recently.
Immediately Bala assumed the office in 2012, by May, the state organized the local government elections. The party won all the 16 Local Government. This send some People wondering with different versions. Some said it was because State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) belongs to the state government. By September, 2012 when the Victor was just six months in office, there was a bye election to replace the member representing Kurmi, Late Hon. Ishaku Audu of blessed memory. The election was the second, conducted by the victor in his new office and he won.
The Governor then, Pharm Danbaba, had a plane crash and an acting governor was sworn in. This big slap could not deterred the victor, as he was able to win all the subsequent bye elections conducted in Yorro, and Takum, to replace the late councilors and the speaker, Taraba State House of Assembly, Late Haruna Tsokwa in 2012 and 2013 respectively.
His toughest time in his political leadership carrier was in 2015. When the then Acting Governor who was the leader of his party in the state was not giving him the required cooperation because he stood against his ambition of confirmation. As a confirmation of my earlier position, before the challenges could overwhelm him, the Victor by providence, scaled through as the Acting governor was removed by the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
They immediately swung in to campaign for the 2015 general elections. Here too, the result proved positive as his party was able to win 15 House of Assembly seats leaving only 9 to the different opposition parties. The seats they lost, analysts confirmed that it was as a result of little fracas between members concerning the candidature of the governorship candidate.
Apparently before the end of that tenure, Victor Bala led leadership was able to woo 4 out of the 9 opposition seats back to the party and PDP celebrated 19 out of 24 House of Assembly Seats in the state. In addition to the two senatorial districts which they had also won overwhelmingly.
The party initially won all the three senatorial seats, but the APC was not convinced by the result and so approached the court. The judgement ended in the party’s favour and its claim the mandate. Leaving PDP with only two seats.
That is not all, in 2019, Bala led the PDP in all the general elections and his party the PDP came out victorious as it won both the Northern and Southern senatorial seats in the state, leaving only the Central Zone for the APC.
No wonder, His Excellency Arch. Darius Dickson Ishaku most often address this versatile political demagogue as a victorious victor.
Now, the Victorious Victor has handed over party’s mantle of leadership to Col. Kefas Dantala Agbu rtd. But he is still in top shape, capable and willing provide a support base for party at any time of its need.
But looking at the King’s mouth, one will hardly think he ever suckled his mother’s breast. This perception is apt with this political giant, the Victorious Victor Bala. He is from a humble background, but his father saw the greatness in the young Victor.
“My father named me victor. He derived the name from his good friend who was a half cast. They went to school together in Gindiri. The friend was more privileged and he was good to my father. He was always coming to my father’s aid by even encouraging him to remain in school. It takes my father 3 weeks to trek to his school in plateau state for his secondary education, 7 days to trek to Yola for middle school. When he gave birth to me, he named me after his friend, Victor.
“That’s how my name came and that is how God destined it. Since he gave me that name, I have always been victorious in my endeavors. I have never failed. I have been a successful international business man for 35 years and all through I have been successful.
“I started politics in 1987 and I am 33 years old in it. I am the oldest politician in Taraba in this present generation of politicians across the state. I am one of the oldest and most senior of them all. 33 years wealth of experience is not 33 months. In all these years I have been a king maker and anybody I stand for becomes victorious. I think that is why the governor said I am a victorious victor.” He told our reporters.
